Corn notches second win on Rend
Kehrer, Renth tie for co-angler honors
WHITTINGTON, Ill., – Toby Corn of West Frankfort, Ill., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Illini Division event on Rend Lake. For his victory, Corn earned $6,794.
Corn used his local knowledge to edge out the field by for his second BFL win on Rend Lake.
“The lake fished very similar,” Corn said. “I started guiding there when I was 16; I’ve literally fished tournaments my whole life there.
“I was fishing main-lake point bushes in the morning, and in the afternoon I was stroking a jig like we do on Kentucky Lake,” Corn added. “Around noon I pulled up on one spot, and I had a 5-pounder and two 3-pounders in about eight casts.
“The wind was a major hindrance for me this tournament,” Corn went on to say. “I could not fish my prime areas. The area I caught my three big fish on I hadn’t fished all year.”
Corn said he fished a black and blue Lunker Lure Rattleback jig in 3/8- and 1/2-ounce sizes on 10-pound-test line so that it would fall faster and trigger a reaction strike.
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Kenny Hemmen, St. Louis, Mo., five bass, 14-8, $1,897
3rd: Kenneth Shadwell, Decatur, Ill., five bass, 14-4, $1,265
4th: Skip Bennett, Texico, Ill., five bass, 13-12, $885
5th: Clay Reeves, Clinton, Ill., five bass, 13-7, $759
6th: Derek Jenkel, Pinckneyville, Ill., five bass, 13-2, $696
7th: Robert Atchison, Whittington, Ill., five bass, 12-13, $632
8th: Neil McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 12-8, $537
8th: Jim Young, Roodhouse, Ill., five bass, 12-8, $537
10th: Jerry Walker, Zeigler, Ill., five bass, 12-5, $443
Complete results can be found here.
Kehrer, Renth tie for co-angler title
Steve Kehrer of Woodlawn, Ill., and Dale Renth of Albers, Ill., both weighed five-bass limits totaling 12 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday to each win $1,423 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
3rd: Chad Buhs, Washington, Ill., four bass, 10-8, $633
4th: Travis Little, New Athens, Ill., five bass, 9-14, $443
5th: Scott McCleery, Winchester, Ill., four bass, 9-5, $379
6th: Keenan Hess, Herrin, Ill., four bass, 9-1, $348
7th: Ed Flanigan, Ashley, Ill., five bass, 8-12, $316
8th: Chad Nosbisch, Teutopolis, Ill., two bass, 8-5, $285
9th: Terry Holsapple, Greenup, Ill., four bass, 8-2, $253
10th: Brett Wysock, Wilmington, Ill., five bass, 7-12, $221
Complete co-angler results can be found here.
The next BFL Illini Division tournament is scheduled for Aug. 10 on the Ohio River in Golconda, Ill. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Ky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.